Angels DFA veteran slugger Jorge Soler just after trade deadline

The Los Angeles Angels designated veteran designated hitter Jorge Soler for assignment on Tuesday, merely a day after the trade deadline closed. Soler, now in the final year of a three-year, $42 million contract, has posted a.203 average with 12 home runs and 49 RBIs in 86 games this season, prompting the club to look for a trade that never materialized. By placing him on waivers, the Angels will still owe the full contract unless another team claims him, in which case the claimant assumes the $3.91 million left for 2026.

Should he clear waivers, the Angels will release him, freeing him to sign elsewhere while the club absorbs the cost. The move underscores a shift toward rebuilding, coming after the trades of Jo Adell to the Cleveland Guardians and Jose Soriano to the Toronto Blue Jays. Soler, a former World Series MVP with the Atlanta Braves, previously moved from the San Francisco Giants to Atlanta before joining Los Angeles.